BLM to Hold Public Meeting on Wild Horse Gather Plans

Staff from the Bureau of Land Management will discuss upcoming wild horse gathering operations, including use of vehicles and helicopters, in a public meeting Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m., at the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office, 2950 Riverside Dr., Susanville.

BLM range management specialists from the Eagle Lake and Surprise field offices will provide details and answer questions about this year’s planned gathers on public land in far northwest Nevada and northeast California.

The BLM periodically gathers wild horses and burros from public land ranges to maintain wild herd populations in balance with available range food and water sources and with other range users including wildlife and permitted livestock.

Wild horses and burros are protected by a 1971 federal law, the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which requires that the BLM manage the herds and control populations. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 gives the agency authority to use vehicles and aircraft in herd management, and requires public meetings prior to such use.